Who are we?

Mission statement

De Nieuwe Internationale School van Esprit offers widely accessible international education of high quality standing in present society with broad awareness of the collective responsibility for the world we live in.

De Nieuwe Internationale School van Esprit (DENISE) wants to achieve this by offering a broad international curriculum as well as an anchor for life in The Netherlands. DENISE uses five different programs so every student can be served at their own needs and personal choices. Besides the academic learning goals DENISE also puts great emphasis on the students’ personal development. Qualities such as cooperation, thoughtfulness, resilience and adaptability are fostered in a systematic way. Finally, DENISE wants to be a place where parents actively participate and help form the program’s international profile.

DENISE stands for high quality international education, as well as an anchor for life in the Netherlands. It does so by offering an English-Dutch Dual Language program based on the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) for Primary education and on the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) for Middle Years education.

Through the IPC students learn to engage with the material in meaningful and exciting ways, such as inquiry-based learning and learning through discovery. Thanks to the flexible structure of the IPC, every child can develop according to their own pace and learning style. Besides the academic learning goals, the IPC also puts great emphasis on the students’ personal development. Qualities such as thoughtfulness, resilience and adaptability are fostered in a systematic way.

Our aim is to ensure that our students receive high quality Dual Language education from the first year on. Our Dual Language Program helps develop our students’ speaking, reading and writing skills building on their existing (first) language skills. With the help of an Dutch class teacher on three days and a English class teacher on two days, students are enabled to explore and learn in both languages.

Furthermore, DENISE places high value on intercultural competence development. Through the International Mindedness goals of the IPC and through an additional intercultural competence program, students learn to interact and cooperate with each other, to be respectful and open towards others, to solve problems together and to consider issues from multiple perspectives. Finally, DENISE wants to be a place where parents actively participate and help form the program’s international profile.

DENISE started their primary education in August 2014. It’s a pioneer-school where not only students, but also teachers learn in close cooperation with parents. To maximize our impact and the learning outcomes, we work closely together with other Esprit schools like the Amsterdam International Community School and the Europaschool.